Solar Atmospheres of Michigan's relocation charges forward

Solar Atmospheres of Michigan Inc., formerly known as Vac-Met Inc., has successfully reached its first milestone in the relocation phase. Solar invested over $5 million of new equipment installed with all new utilities. The new equipment includes two vacuum furnaces, an air tempering furnace, and a freezer. As a result, Solar was able to host their first AS9100D audit at the new facility in Chesterfield, Michigan. This quality management system audit for aviation, space and defense organizations which incorporates ISO9001 standards passed with zero findings.

After purchasing the company one year ago, the goal was to build a new facility with no impact on the existing customer base. Bob Hill, President of Solar Atmospheres of Michigan, states, “We wanted to keep the 42-year-old Vac-Met business fully operational during our relocation phase. Therefore, to bring both business units under one roof, we needed to configure a new 'mini business' to satisfy AS and Nadcap requirements. Today, we can begin running commercial work only in Chesterfield. After our upcoming Nadcap audit, we will start processing aerospace work. Following that milestone, we will begin to relocate nine existing vacuum furnaces from our Warren and Fraser Michigan plants to the new facility. Chesterfield will be able to scale with our customers and expand the business well into the future!”